Page 23 - DSEi JAPAN 2023 - DAY 2 | DAILY NEWS

agreement at DSEI, work is accelerating
on the development of the advanced avi-
onics needed for GCAP. It will be developed
together by the defence electronics power-
houses from the three nations - Mitsubishi
Electric representing Japan, Leonardo UK
representing the UK and both Leonardo and
Elettronica representing Italy and the three
companies are working on a permanent
industrial construct, that will allow them
to forge a closer business relationship
and assess appropriate commercial and
international operating models, readying
the partners for the next stage of the GCAP
programme.

In Japan, Mitsubishi Electric has already
been involved in development work for
advanced electronics under the coun-
try’s next generation F-X programme. In will accelerate developmental activities, EuroRADAR consortium, while Leonardo
Italy, Leonardo and Elettronica have been while meeting customer requirements UK and Elettronica already collaborate to
involved in maturing cutting-edge future for equal partnership between the three deliver the defensive aids sub system for
combat multi-domain technologies includ- nations. An important aspect of this is the the Typhoon as design authorities in the
ing sensors, communications and data/ strong expectation from customer nations, EuroDASS consortium. These collabora-
information fusion as part of the Italian especially Japan, is access to integrated tions have developed critical capabilities for
Defence Technology Initiative. Leonardo UK mission support, freedom of action and the Eurofighter Typhoon throughout the life
is a founding member of the UK’s Tempest freedom of modification. This approach of the programme and will continue to do
project, formed in 2018 to develop 6th gen- will be further actioned upon as the three so in the years to come. Leonardo UK and
eration combat air technologies. Together, companies work towards agreeing on a per- Mitsubishi Electric have also been working
the three-nation team will collaborate to manent commercial construct to deliver the since 2018 on the UK-Japan JAGUAR radar
form the ISANKE & ICS domain, responsi- domain, national requirements for indus- technology programme.
ble for the advanced electronics on-board trial capabilities and principles of shared
the GCAP platform. This will provide the intellectual property will be considered in Speaking at the announcement of the col-
aircrew with information advantage and the spirit of a fully integrated tri-national laboration agreement between the three
advanced self-protection capabilities. programme. defence electronics powerhouses, offi-
cials from all three companies stated that
To deliver this capability, the ISANKE & The three partners for the defence elec- ISANKE would unlock the potential of sixth
ICS developmental partners recognise tronics of GCAP already have extensive generation tactical sensing, transitioning
that legacy programme structures, infra- experience of working on complex from the traditional combat air model of
structure and performance metrics need defence programmes. Mitsubishi Electric individual airborne sensors to instead pro-
to be revaluated in order to set the pace played a key role in Japan’s F-2 fighter pro- viding a fully integrated sensing, fusion
required to meet the transformative pro- gramme, while Leonardo is a partner in the and self-protection capability, that draws
gramme’s 2035 target. The new agreement Eurofighter Typhoon programme. The com- on a spider’s web of sensing and effecting
includes joint recognition of fundamental pany’s UK and Italian teams worked on the nodes across each platform.
principles of a working partnership which E-scan radar for the aircraft as part of the
Importantly, ICS will allow ISANKE to oper-
ate as a network across formations of
crewed and uncrewed aircraft, especially
as part of each nations’ wider, multi-domain
system-of-systems. This will ensure that
the three GCAP nations can interoperate
with allies in joint operations. Integrated
across the five domains: air, land, sea,
space and cyber, the GCAP core platform
will rapidly manage a large amount of
data, providing aircrew with the informa-
tion superiority they will need to succeed
in complex and contested battlespaces, as
well as contributing valuable intelligence
to other operators. When installed on an
operational 6 gen fighter, the ISANKE &
th
ICS will be substantially more capable as
compared to previous generation opera-
tional capabilities.

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